Karim Sarhan
Research Fellow, Center for International Development
Karim Sarhan is a Research Fellow at the Center for International Development (CID) focused on understanding how countries design and implement development strategies. He is co-founder and partner at Sharkawy & Sarhan, one of the leading law firms in Egypt and a Harvard Kennedy School MPA alum. During his time with CID, he has developed a working paper under the guidance of Professor Michael Woolcock, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy and CID faculty affiliate. Since the publicization of the working paper, Karim has used the power of networks, group learning, and convening to continue to develop and iterate his work. This process began with the talk "" in the fall 2022 CID Friday Speaker Series which garnered much attention from students, staff, and faculty. This increased demand to learn more paved way for a Study Group which Karim facilitated for Harvard students and affiliates.
The Study Group, ‘Development Strategy from Thought to Action,’ was a platform for Karim to translate his research into a 4-session curriculum to engage with a diverse group of 32 individuals. These individuals were eager to learn more about Development Strategy and how they can apply these learnings to better understand their home countries. Karim gained from the experience as well, highlighting that the group provided important feedback for the continuation of his research.
This inaugural CID Study Group was a huge success as indicated from the . CID is happy to welcome back Karim in the spring 2024 semester to facilitate the group a second time. Successful Study Groups foster CID’s commitment to build talent to address the world most pressing development challenges. Empowering and enabling the Harvard community to engage together is one of the most powerful tools we have here at CID.